Astros Great Bob Watson Dies At 74; Late MLB Exec Was First Black GM To Win World Series

Sad news late Thursday night as word broke that longtime Houston Astro and former New York Yankees GM Bob Watson passed away at 74 after suffering from kidney disease.

The 1B/LF spent most of his career in Houston before a brief stint in Boston then split his last five years between Atlanta and The Bronx. After retiring after 19 seasons, he became the second Black GM in baseball history when he took the job with the 'stros in 1993. He then became the first Black GM to win a World Series after the Yankees captured the '96 crown, their first in 18 years. After his front office career, he served as an MLB executive and retired in 2010.

He was well known to kids of the '70s when he and several teammates appeared in THE BAD NEWS BEARS IN BREAKING TRAINING. Watson famously implored the umps to, "C'mon, let the kids play".

My deepest condolences to his family and friends. Watson left quite a legacy on and off the field.